I found this 3-CD set of Linda Ronstadt songs in a local thrift store for a dollar. These 30 SONGS from this 2009 collection include most of Lonstadt’s hits from “You’re No Good” to “Blue Bayou.” Ronstadt charted 38 US Billboard Hot 100 singles. Twenty-one of those singles reached the top 40, ten reached the top 10, and one reached number one (“You’re No Good“).
Ronstadt skyrocketed to fame in the 1970s with the release of her multi-platinum, chart-topping albums “Heart Like a Wheel,” “Simple Dreams” and “Living in the USA,” which cemented her status as one of the decade’s leading musical stars.
One of the most successful female singers of all time, Ronstadt has released 29 studio albums and sold over 100 million records across the genres of rock and roll, country and Latin music. Dubbed the “First Lady of Rock,” Ronstadt is the only female artist to have released five consecutive platinum albums. Ronstadt is the recipient of 11 Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award.
Diane and I saw Linda Ronstadt in concert in Buffalo in 1983 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center. Of course, it was a sell-out. Ronstadt delivered a rousing concert and earned plenty of applause. Beautiful voice and beautiful songs!
In a 2022 interview with “Today,” Ronstadt explained that she learned she was suffering from progressive supranuclear palsy, an incurable brain disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease.
I’ve been a fan of Linda Ronstadt and her music since the early 1970s. Are you a Linda Ronstadt fan? Do you have a favorite song?
TRACK LIST:
| -1 | Silver Threads And Golden Needles Written-By – Reynolds*, Rhodes | |
| 1-2 | Poor, Poor Pitiful Me Written-By – Warren Zevon | |
| 1-3 | Tracks Of My Tears Written-By – Tarplin*, Robinson*, Moore* | |
| 1-4 | Love Is A Rose Written-By – Neil Young | |
| 1-5 | That’ll Be The Day Written-By – Holly*, Allison*, Petty | |
| 1-6 | Blue Bayou Written-By – Melson*, Orbison | |
| 1-7 | Someone To Lay Down Beside Me Written-By – Karla Bonoff | |
| 1-8 | Love Has No Pride Written-By – Kaz*, Titus | |
| 1-9 | It’s So Easy Written-By – Holly*, Petty | |
| 1-10 | Different Drum Band – The Stone Poneys Featuring – Linda Ronstadt Written-By – Mike Nesmith*Band | |
| 2-1 | Tumbling Dice Written-By – Richards*, Jagger | |
| 2-2 | Back In The U.S.A. Written-By – Chuck Berry | |
| 2-3 | Ooh Baby Baby Written-By – Robinson*, Moore | |
| 2-4 | Just One Look Written-By – Payne*, Carroll* | |
| 2-5 | Hurt So Bad Written-By – Hart*, Weinstein*, Randazzo | |
| 2-6 | Heat Wave Written-By – Holland*, Holland*, Dozier | |
| 2-7 | You’re No Good Written-By – Clint Ballard Jr. | |
| 2-8 | Get Closer Written-By – Jonathan Carroll | |
| 2-9 | I Knew You When Written-By – Joe South | |
| 2-10 | Long, Long Lime Written-By – Gary White | |
| 3-1 | When Will I Be Loved Written-By – Phil Everly | |
| 3-2 | When Something Is Wrong With My Baby Featuring – Aaron Neville Written-By – Porter*, Hayes | |
| 3-3 | Someone To Watch Over Me Written-By – Gershwin*, Gershwin | |
| 3-4 | All My Life Featuring – Aaron Neville Written-By – Karla Bonoff | |
| 3-5 | How Do I Make YouWritten-By – Billy SteinbergWritten-By – Billy Steinberg | |
| 3-6 | When I Grow To Old To Dream Written-By – Hammerstein II*, Romberg | |
| 3-7 | What’s NewWritten-By – Haggart*, Burke*Written-By – Haggart*, Burke* | |
| 3-8 | Easy For You To Say Written-By – Jimmy Webb | |
| 3-9 | Don’t Know Much Featuring – Aaron Neville Written-By – Mann*, Weil*, Snow* | |
| 3-10 | Winter Light Written-By – Kaz*, Ronstadt*, Preisner |
Yes—I like most of the songs here. It’s sad that she rarely wrote any of her songs so doesn’t get royalty checks…I hope she kept some money socked away: I’m sure her medical bills are astronomical.
Deb, I’ve read that Linda Ronstadt was struggling financially a few years ago. But the memoirs she wrote with Lawrence Downes, Feels Like Home and Simple Dreams, gave Ronstadt some needed cash-flow. The Ronstadt songs that play on Spotify and Sirius/XM Radio only earn pennies.
Yes, huge fan. We’ve seen her a few times in concert, once even doing the Nelson Riddle/standards (that was not really our taste, but it was Linda, so…). Not one favorite, because there are so many great ones. She has done a lot of covers, to mostly great effect – Back in the USA, Heat Wave, When Will I Be Loved, Tracks of My Tears, Ooh Baby Baby, That’ll Be the Day, Blue Bayou, It’s So Easy, Poor Poor Pitiful Me, Hurt So Bad, etc.
I have a lot of her CDs too, including LIVE in HOLLYWOOD, the DUETS CD, two GREATEST HITS, etc.
Jeff, like you I’m a huge fan of Linda Ronstadt. I agree with your reaction to Ronstadt’s Nelson Riddle CDs. Not my cup of tea, but listenable.
I forgot she had so many hits.
Lots of outstanding stuff here.
Beth, a Linda Ronstadt CD maybe coming your way in your BIRTHDAY BOX!
My first and only celebrity crush. I actually had her poster on my wall during my high school days (no Farah Fawcett for me) and she was my first concert. I had the greatest hits and a few other albums but haven’t listened to her in decades. In retrospect her voice is a little bit too clean for my taste but not so stetile as say Jennifer Warnes. Still, she was a smart singer who championed underdog songwriters like Warren Zevon but she was treated shabbily by the rock critics of her day and Rolling Stone, at their most misogynist, was awful to her despite using cheesecake photos of her to sell a lot of magazines.
I admire the way she altered her career to make the kind of records she wanted to and it must have been vinicating to her to see them sell respectably. It’s so sad to see her health failing but she seems to be handling it with admirable grace and as much philosophical acceptance as one could be expected to have under the circumstances.
Byron, my affection for Linda Ronstadt parallels yours. I didn’t have her poster on the wall, but I bought all of her albums and listened to them on a regular basis. I wish I had gone to more of her concerts. You’re right about Ronstadt championing underdog songwriters and Warren Jevon and Elvis Costello. I lover her version of “Alison.”
Her version of Allison doesn’t make sense as sung by a female. It ineeds vto be sung by a male. And her version of Poor Poor Pitiful Me leaves out a verse which waters it down a bit.
Jackie reminded me that we saw Linda in The Pirates of Penzance, either in Central Park or when it transferred to Broadway. She said the Duets CD was also to help her financially.
Jeff, with all the platinum albums Linda Ronstadt had, her spending must have been high or her financial advisors were incompetent…or both. So many people are careless with their money!
An absolutely beautiful voice, not so great at knowing what to do with material. But when she clicks, she really clicks. This is a nice collection. The fact that it’s 10 tracks to a side show that it’s a cheaply produced one, but it’s much better selected than the average of such. The only thing offhand that I miss here is Heart Like. Wheel.
I feel like I’ve told you these two things, but here we go (again?):
My absolute favorite Linda moment is on Softly and Tenderly, a trio outtake with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. Her verse is just stunning.
In her very early days, she was a guest on The Johnny Cash Show. During rehearsal, she was on stage singing wearing just a short dress. June, on the floor, looked up at her and called an assistant over, saying, “Run down the street and buy this girl some underpants.” Linda protested, saying she liked to feel the energy of the music through her bare feet and all the way up her legs. June said, “Not with my Johnny you don’t.”
Jeff, I went out and bought that trio CD and listen to “Softly and Tenderly.” And, you are so right about Linda Ronstadt’s verse! Stunning, indeed! I had heard variations of that June Cash story. Another side of Linda Ronstadt…
Huge fan Different Drum maybe or When Will I Be Loved. Love the big band ones too. She was just such a darling.
Patti, I have copies of Linda Ronstadt’s memoirs around here somewhere. I want to find them and read them soon.
Maybe this explains why Facebook has been bombarding me with Linda Ronstadt images lately! I hadd a chance to see her at Chuck’s Cellar in 1973 but the $5.00 cover charge scared me away! Of course, she wasn’t such a big star then! I like a lot of her songs but Love Has No Pride and Ooo, Baby, Baby hold a special place in my head!
Bob, even back then, Linda Ronstadt was worth the $5.00 cover charge!
I like Linda’s songs too, especially the broad range of styles.
Just read the wiki on her, a fabulous story, very detailed!
And of course I like that she’s of German descent …
Wolf, Linda Ronstadt was one of the biggest female Rock stars in the 1970s and 1980s. I still listen to her music all these years later.